Page 41 of An Earl's Scandalous Return
“But she does,” Edward comforted her. “If he were a violent man, then he would have certainly been violent before. He may be angry, though, but we must give her the space and time to make her decision.”
“You’re right, I know. I am comforting myself with the thought that once all is revealed to Gregory, she will not wish to stay with him. Then she will only have us to choose.”
He chuckled. “You would be a perfect hostess. Did you write to Alvin?”
“Yes, at long last, I finally put pen to paper and shared everything. I am sure he will be overjoyed, but who knows what the wagging tongues have been doing in London to tear him apart, Jacinda too, now that it will surely have been revealed that their engagement is broken.”
“Perhaps they haven’t shared the news yet, but I know. I hope he is weathering the storm well. I hope your letter will give him hope that things might turn out to be well. He will surely allow them to wed once we share the truth with the duke,” Edward said hopefully.
Her fingertips tightened on his arm, and Edward tried not to think about how much he wanted her. It had been very companionable since their talk with Seraphina, but more was underneath the surface.
Desire, hot and hungry, simmered at the edges of everything in their every interaction, and he couldn’t wait until he could speak it all and until Arabella was ready with the scandal her father had created tied up nicely.
For I love her still.
The thought came to him suddenly and clearly, but he was not surprised. It had been knocking inside him for days, and he’d just been too stubborn and afraid to admit it. But now he could, and everything made sense now. Why he could not move on in his time in Europe, and his reaction had been so strong when he’d seen her again.
“Yes, I’m sure he will,” Arabella replied, casting him out of his thoughts. When she turned to look at him, the sunlight shone on her face, and she looked even more beautiful. “Thank you, Edward, for all your comfort.”
He did want to kiss her, to do more, to draw her into his arms and take her upstairs for days upon end. But at that moment, that thank you had made him feel better and happier than he had in years.
***
Seraphina slapped a hand against the stubborn wooden door in the room where Gregory had locked her. She’d been yelling for nearly ten minutes, but there had been no response. So, he was either ignoring her, or he had gone out. Seraphina was frantic. She’d spent the night in her room, pacing and yelling for him to let her out. But nothing. He had delivered her meals, but other than that, she hadn’t been able to speak to him or find a way out.
Yet again, she went to the window and looked out. Her fingers tried eagerly once more to open it, but it had been painted shut a long time ago, and she’d never been able to open it again. She leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, her knees folded in front of her, and began to cry.
Now, I won’t be able to meet them, and Arabella will think that I do not want to go with them. When I want nothing more than to have a new life with my real family. She and her brother are all I have left.
Seraphina knew she had followed her heart in finding out the truth, but she still regretted it a little, not realising the lengths Gregory would go to stop her. She still couldn’t believe that he’d played the role of her father for years, but now he’d locked her in her room without any word of when she might be let out. He wanted to get his revenge, and so that meant he was merely waiting for the money to come his way.
Money. All for money.
She laid her head on her knees and let herself cry. She had to think of a plan to get out, but she didn’t have the energy right then. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to feel sorry for herself.
Chapter 44
Jacinda had spent enough time crying over the past ten days. Once the last tear had fallen, she rose from the chair in her bedroom, and she felt anger in its place. Her father, without thought to how it would affect her, had forced her to give up the engagement to the man she truly loved.
Alvin was good, kind, and loving; what did it matter that his family had a past? What family didn’t? Would her father prefer that she marry a man she didn’t love and only because he had a spotless reputation?
And the scandal has nothing to do with Alvin himself! It is only his father who might have been guilty of terrible things. It isn’t fair that Alvin, too, should be blamed.
She continued to pace, her anger growing with each moment she thought about it. No, this would not do. At first, when her father had demanded that she end the engagement, she thought she had to do it because she and her father had never been at odds before.
Never before had he given her such a demand, so she knew he meant it. But then, once she’d thought about it, she realised that she was old enough to make her own decisions for her life. This was abouthermarriage, after all!
Jacinda was resolved. Quickly, she called for her lady’s maid, and once the young girl arrived, she told her her plans.
“Will you accompany me? I have a quick errand to run and a letter to post.”
“Of course, My Lady.”
Her maid helped her dress, and Jacinda picked up the letter she wanted to post, but it was only one of the errands she wished to complete. Half an hour later, she was striding up to Alvin’s home, her lady’s maid nervously trailing behind her.
“Are you certain, My Lady?”
“Of course, Harriet. I will not be cowed.” She knocked on the door, was given hesitant entry, and waited for permission to visit Alvin in the sitting room.
